I love the look of these blinds, and the fact they hang from ordinary curtain rods. So, so easy to hang right out of the box. Be forewarned, these ARE NOT completely light-blocking. I ordered the white, and they do let in quite a bit of light, but that is exactly what I wanted. Great for a small or dark room. Other colors might block more light.I also love the comtemporary look of the horizontal seams, and the fabric looks like a roman shade when in the 'up' position. As with other shades/blinds, you can lock the shade up or down by pulling the cord to the far left or right.The pull mechanism is on the right side of each panel, ( your right, as you look at the panel), which could be a bit of a bummer if that makes it hard to reach in your setting. The string in the pull mechanism is lightweight, so I doubt the pull mechanism would survive, say, a teenage boy pulling them open and closed each day. The mechanism, in my opinion, is best for light usage. If not for that, I'd give these blinds a 5 star rating.Shipping was super fast!